OSCE: GOI ON IMPROVING U.S./EU COORDINATION;

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 000086 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/03/2013 TAGS: PREL PHUM EU IT TX OSCE SUBJECT: OSCE: GOI ON IMPROVING U.S./EU COORDINATION; TURKMENISTAN "MOSCOW MECHANISM" REF: A) STATE 02778 B) OSCE CIO WORK PLAN CLASSIFIED BY: POL MC TOM COUNTRYMAN. REASON: 1.5 (B)(D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY AND REQUEST FOR GUIDANCE. DURING A CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ROME 00086 100733Z DISCUSSION ON TURKMENISTAN "MOSCOW MECHANISM" (SEE PARA 5), MFA OSCE OFFICE DIRECTOR FABIO CRISTIANI STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF U.S./EU COORDINATION ON OSCE ISSUES, AND OFFERED TO TAKE IT UPON HIMSELF TO HELP FIND "COMMON GROUND" BETWEEN THE U.S. AND EU ON REF B CIO WORK PLAN AND ANY OTHER ISSUES THAT MAY ARISE IN THE COMING YEAR. POST REQUESTS DEPARTMENT'S PRELIMINARY VIEWS ON REF B DOCUMENT TO SHARE WITH CRISTIANI. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) CRISTIANI SAID THAT OVERALL, THE GOI WAS PLEASED WITH THE RESULTS OF THE DECEMBER OPORTO MINISTERIAL, DESPITE DOWN-TO-THE-WIRE NEGOTIATIONS ON SOME OF THE STATEMENTS. CRISTIANI WAS CONCERNED, HOWEVER, THAT THE EU WAS NOT INVOLVED IN FINAL NEGOTIATIONS ON SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES, ESPECIALLY ON RUSSIA'S ISTANBUL COMMITMENTS ON GEORGIA AND MOLDOVA. THE EU WAS LITERALLY "BEHIND CLOSED DOORS" WHEN THE U.S. AND RUSSIA WERE NEGOTIATING THE FINAL DRAFTS. CRISTIANI PLACED THE BLAME FOR THIS SITUATION SQUARELY IN THE EU'S COURT. THE EU HAD NOT AGREED ON STRONG INITIAL OR FALLBACK POSITIONS. EU CAPITALS HAD BEEN "PASSIVE" ON THESE ISSUES, HE LAMENTED, AND THE U.S. AND RUSSIA WERE THEREFORE CORRECT IN MARGINALIZING THE EU WHEN IT CAME TO CRUNCH TIME ON FINAL LANGUAGE. ¶3. (C) ITALY WILL BE EU COUNCIL PRESIDENT DURING THE NEXT OSCE MINISTERIAL, AND CRISTIANI HAS TAKEN IT UPON HIMSELF TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS DOES NOT REPEAT ITSELF. TO THAT END, HE SAID, THE EU SHOULD COORDINATE OFTEN AND EARLY WITH THE U.S. ON KEY ISSUES WITHIN THE OSCE. AS A START, CRISTIANI ASKED FOR THE USG'S PRELIMINARY VIEWS ON THE TIMING AND SUBSTANCE OF THE 2003 WORK SCHEDULE PROPOSED BY CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 ROME 00086 100733Z THE NETHERLANDS CHAIRMAN-IN-OFFICE, DISTRIBUTED TO OSCE PARTICIPATING STATES ON JANUARY 6. THE EARLIER WE KNOW EACH OTHER POINTS OF CONVERGENCE AND DIVERGENCE, HE SAID, THE EASIER IT WILL BE TO REACH COMMON POSITIONS. CRISTIANI WILL TAKE IT UPON HIMSELF TO HELP FIND "COMMON GROUND" BETWEEN THE U.S. AND EU ON THIS DOCUMENT AND ANY OTHER ISSUES THAT MAY ARISE IN THE COMING YEAR. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: ONE OF THE CONCLUSIONS OF THE RECENT IN-HOUSE REVIEW OF U.S./EU RELATIONS WAS THAT WE NEED TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY IN EU CAPITALS ON ISSUES IMPORTANT TO THE USG -- BEFORE DEBATE BEGINS IN BRUSSELS. CRISTIANI IS OFFERING US AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO JUST THAT. AS A FORMER MINISTER AT ITALY'S MISSION TO THE OSCE, AND CURRENT POINT PERSON FOR OSCE-EU RELATIONS DURING THE ITALIAN PRESIDENCY, WE COULD NOT HAVE A BETTER ALLY IN OUR EFFORTS TO CRAFT COMMON U.S.-EU POSITIONS ON OSCE ISSUES. END COMMENT. -------------- TURKMENISTAN -------------- ¶5. (C) POLOFF DREW ON POINTS REF A TO EMPHASIZE USG CONCERNS REGARDING RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN TURKMENISTAN, AND TO REQUEST GOI SUPPORT FOR INVOKING THE OSCE'S "MOSCOW MECHANISM" TO DEPLOY A FACT FINDING MISSION OF EXPERTS. CRISTIANI SAID THAT THE GOI SHARED OUR CONCERNS, AND AGREED THAT A DEMARCHE TO THE GOT URGING COOPERATION WITH THE OSCE, AND A PUBLIC STATEMENT ALONG THE SAME LINES, WOULD BE NECESSARY TO MOVE THE THUS-FAR INTRANSIGENT REGIME IN ASHKABAT. CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 ROME 00086 100733Z ¶6. (C) CRISTIANI FELT THAT DELIVERING THE DEMARCHE AND RELEASING THE STATEMENT THROUGH THE EU, SPECIFICALLY THE EU TROIKA, WOULD BE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN A SERIES OF BILATERAL APPROACHES AND INDIVIDUAL RELEASES. THE EU WAS ENERGIZED ON THE MATTER, HE CONTINUED, AND THE GOI WOULD MAKE SURE IT WAS RAISED DURING THE LUNCH FOR EU OSCE PARTICIPATING STATES ON JANUARY 9 IN VIENNA, AND AT THE EU POLITICAL-SECURITY AND COREPER MEETINGS JANUARY 14 AND 15 IN BRUSSELS. CRISTIANI WAS CONFIDENT THAT THE GREEK PRESIDENCY WOULD AGREE TO A STRONG TROIKA STATEMENT, WHICH WOULD BE APPROVED BY OTHER EU MEMBER STATES. HE SAID THE STATEMENT WOULD TAKE INTO ACCOUNT GOT REACTION TO THE JANUARY 3 LETTER SIGNED BY THE GERMAN, U.S., FRENCH, UK, AND ROMANIAN AMBASSADORS TO TURKMENISTAN URGING GOT COOPERATION. SKODON CONFIDENTIAL > 2003ROME00086 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL